paper clay

I have heard about paper clay for patching cracks in dry greenware, but never tried it. I have a LARGE platter with an add on rope rim. Where the strips of roping join at the corners of the rectangular tray, the coils seperated slightly. . Normally I would scrap a piece with a crack, but a lot of work went into this piece and I'm trying to salvage it. i mixed shredded toilet paper and the clay it was made with, blunged it with an imersion blender till very smooth, and worked the resulting slip into the cracks. when the slip drede, i tried to gently sand the rough edges and all the paper clay came out of the cracks.

Moisten the area where the repair is to be made making sure to moisten more than just the ends of your rope trim. Actually use a little vinegar in your paper clay mixture. The problem you're having is the greenware is sucking up the wetness of the paper clay too fast. After applying the patch, wrap in plastic, at least for a day to even out the moisture content. When sanding, use fine sandpaper and either work over a bucket of water and/or wear a dust mask. Hope this helps.

Moisten the area where the repair is to be made making sure to moisten more than just the ends of your rope trim. Actually use a little vinegar in your paper clay mixture. The problem you're having is the greenware is sucking up the wetness of the paper clay too fast. After applying the patch, wrap in plastic, at least for a day to even out the moisture content. When sanding, use fine sandpaper and either work over a bucket of water and/or wear a dust mask. Hope this helps.

Shirley

p.s. I usually mix my "patch paper clay" with Magic Water

What is Magic Water?

I use something called Ceramic Enhancer, to mend my broken greenware. It works pretty well. Prior to that, I used a trick I learned in college, which was a mixture of ground up bone dry clay, and Karo syrup. I had only marginal success with that.

OK, thanks, guys, I tried getting the rim damp, remixed the patch-paper clay, and filled the serarations with it. Wrapped the rime in plastic for a day and when I checked it, the paper clay patch was still in the cracks. Does this mean it will STAY there when fired? I have NO experience using it and don't know what to expect.

It should fire just fine. If it needs sanding, wait until after the bisque firing and make sure you are using wet/dry sandpaper--using it wet so there's no dust problem.

Shirley

Magic Water is a combination of water, sodium silicate and soda ash. Check out the archives of these forums --search magic waterand you'l find recipes. Good stuff to have on hand if you are handbuilding or even just adding handles, spouts, etc.

I read that paper clay goes funky and can't be kept very long, like I do with my regular slips for joining. Can the magic water mix be stored?

Magic water can be stored and doesn't go bad. Paper clay can get funky but how funky depends on the amount of paper in the clay and the temp it is stored at. I'm using some now that spent a middle Georgia summer in plastic bags outside and has a nice coat of green and black on it that wedges into the clay easily and improves the plasticity. If you don't want the mold, store in a cool place and/or add a tiny bit of bleach to the paper clay when you make it.

Actually a beautiful green and orange mold is on most of the clay I store outside in plastic bags (which is what I want), but the mold can be easily scraped off or just wedged into the clay, completely disappearing almost instantly. The difference with paper clay is that in addition to that mold it has a dark gray mold that is on the surface of the clay and distributed throughout the clay.

I have heard about paper clay for patching cracks in dry greenware, but never tried it. I have a LARGE platter with an add on rope rim. Where the strips of roping join at the corners of the rectangular tray, the coils seperated slightly. . Normally I would scrap a piece with a crack, but a lot of work went into this piece and I'm trying to salvage it. i mixed shredded toilet paper and the clay it was made with, blunged it with an imersion blender till very smooth, and worked the resulting slip into the cracks. when the slip drede, i tried to gently sand the rough edges and all the paper clay came out of the cracks.

Any suggestions? This is my first paper clay experience.

I realize this may be a bit late in the game, but when I use paper clay patch, I smooth it (it's more like burnishing as it dries so fast) with a rounded wood tool as sanding is iffy.

I know this has been covered before, but here goes again. Laguna informed me that the mold in/on paper clay can be hazardous to your health. Admittedly, they want us to buy more clay, but the gentleman I spoke with said the mold that often appears on regular clay does make it more plastic and easier to work, but the mold on paper clay is akin to the mold that forms on drywall when it's been exposed to moisture for a long period of time. That kind of mold is considered toxic.

Why take a chance? The best way to keep paper clay is in thin sheets/slabs that have dried. They are easy to reconstitute and make usable again. So, Jim, do you make your own paper clay? That might make a difference, but I buy mine by the bag and if it starts to smell, I immediately slice it into slabs, let them dry and stack them until needed.

I know this has been covered before, but here goes again. Laguna informed me that the mold in/on paper clay can be hazardous to your health. Admittedly, they want us to buy more clay, but the gentleman I spoke with said the mold that often appears on regular clay does make it more plastic and easier to work, but the mold on paper clay is akin to the mold that forms on drywall when it's been exposed to moisture for a long period of time. That kind of mold is considered toxic.

Why take a chance? The best way to keep paper clay is in thin sheets/slabs that have dried. They are easy to reconstitute and make usable again. So, Jim, do you make your own paper clay? That might make a difference, but I buy mine by the bag and if it starts to smell, I immediately slice it into slabs, let them dry and stack them until needed.

I make my own. What you say above is interesting and makes sense and your solution is a great idea, but I only make enough to use up in a couple of months at most and don't mind a little toxic mold every once in a while. If I was worried about the toxicity of the black mold I'd just add a bit of bleach to the clay to keep the mold from forming. If I ever make up a large batch, I'll definitely store it as you suggest. Thanks for the info.